Many people believe that the ability to multi-task is a fundamental skill for increasing productivity, especially when applying this idea to supply chain management in China –but this isn’t always the case. According to this article, multi-tasking can be counter-productive; it also reduces intelligence and makes you perform slower, not...
This is a tough topic to tackle. Most of us would like to think that Chinese suppliers are nice and honest, they just focus on making a living, the best they can. We don’t want to even think that some of them can be dishonest, and worse, that some of...
Lately, negative feelings about doing business with China have noticeably increased. We note this is happening not just here in the USA, but in many other places in the world including Europe, Australia, South America and South East Asian countries like Malaysia. The reason this has developed this way goes...
When navigating China manufacturing, delays can often occur, but with the right preparation, many can be avoided or minimized to ensure a smoother sourcing process. Below are a few tips that can reduce the risk of delay and mitigate its damage when it occurs: Place orders early: You’ll want to...
Importing from China has never been a decision made overnight. Importers have many options to weigh and lots of research to do when considering moving their supply chain to China. One barrier has always been – how? What is the best approach to buying from China? The best approach to...
Importers who have gone through the trouble of researching, qualifying, and building a relationship with their Chinese suppliers are sometimes hesitant to change, even when the quality of their services and output begins to decline. This desire to not want to “rock the boat” with suboptimal suppliers is what we...
Many new importers find that they only have a very vague idea of how long it really takes to receive their product when purchasing in China. This is because many of them have experience buying from distributors or wholesalers here in the US, so the timeline is rarely clear. In...
We are the age of information. All of it is readily available at your fingertips. And for many, the problem is no longer finding suppliers, but rather, qualifying suppliers. We previously wrote about how to verify factories (see China sourcing: How to verify factories). Since this blog, new importers continue to ask...